Page 79 of Dr. Stone
I watched with intrigue and some fear, seeing Jace hold Brandon so effortlessly, pulling on his life jacket and appearing as though they were new best friends.
I looked around, taking in the serene atmosphere of the marina in the morning. There was a specific energy I’d alwaysloved about early morning sailing—the stillness, the boats tucked beneath their canvases, the mix of salt and diesel in the air. It felt like I’d stepped into a beautiful memory. Seagulls flying overhead, and the soft clinking of halyards against masts sounded like wind chimes dancing on the breeze. God, I missed this. I stopped myself from getting lost in nostalgia and brought my attention back to Jace’s stunning boat.
“You went all in with this one,” I said, trailing my fingers along the polished rail.
Jace glanced over, smiling. “Only boat I’ve ever named.”
My brows lifted. “What’s her name, sailor?”
He nodded toward the script painted near the stern, “Via Her.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “It means more than just a route?”
“Good guess, gorgeous.” He walked over to me, Brandon on his hip, and leaned in for a tender but quick kiss. “And until I met you, she was the only lady I intended to be a permanent fixture in my life. The only one I would never leave.”
“Pressure’s on, then, if I’ve got to compete with this gal,” I teased, taking Brandon back after he leaned toward me, getting grumpy again.
“There’s no competition,” he said, giving me a look that could easily undo me and have me begging for more below deck if I didn’t control myself.
“We need to get this lady out to sea so you can show her off for me a little,” I said.
“Coming from the daughter of Santa Barbara’s top yacht broker? I’ll take that as a compliment—for both of us.”
“You remembered that about my dad?” I chuckled.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he smirked, grabbing dock lines. “I have to ensure my dad stays away from his business, remember?”
“That’s right,” I teased back, a bit surprised that Jace remembered because no one had ever cared to remember theboring details of my life in my previous relationships. In fact, my ex-bastard hated my dad and never cared about him or sailing, which was half the reason I hadn’t been out on a boat in years.
We clicked Brandon into his seat at the cockpit rail, so Jace and I could work together in silence as he untied the dock lines, and I helped coil them. The engine thrummed beneath us, and slowly we eased out of the slip, the water parting cleanly around the hull. Everything worked precisely and harmoniously as Jace’s boat eased out of the marina.
I stood beside Jace, salty wind catching my hair, and my heart thudding with a kind of quiet eagerness. I didn’t know how this day would go, but standing here now with my son safe and secure, the ocean stretching wide, and Jace’s hand brushing mine as we moved forward, I sure as hell wanted to find out.
The marina shrank behind us as we slipped past the breakwater, the bow slicing clean into the open water. The engine hummed beneath my feet for a few more minutes, then quieted as Jace moved toward the mast. His movements were efficient, practiced, and there was something quietly irresistible about watching a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
My heart reacted in a familiar and excited way when the mainsail caught the breeze with a crisp snap. The shift was instant, the engine now off and silence broken only by the rush of wind, the slap of water against the hull, and the deep creak of the rigging settling into a perfect tempo. I held onto the railing as the boat leaned slightly into the gust, smiling so hard my cheeks ached. How had I forgotten what this felt like?
I hadn’t been out on the ocean like this since I was a kid—summers with my mom and dad on a beat-up boat, the three of us chasing the wind to Catalina like it was a game we could win. That old boat smelled like salt and peanut butter sandwiches; it was nothing like this. This one was elegance in motion.
“Still with me?” Jace asked from behind the helm, his voice casual as he looked at me with interest.
I looked over my shoulder at him and nodded, hair whipping across my face. “Absolutely,” I smiled. “I love this. It feels like coming home.”
A flash of something warm washed over his handsome and youthful face. “Then my mission has been accomplished.”
We curved gently along the coastline with the cliffs of Malibu rising to our right. He was steering us toward Paradise Cove—the spot where we’d gone on his motorcycle to have our first real date. Though that wasn’t the only reason we were heading there. It was a quiet inlet, still empty this early in the day.
I moved closer to where Brandon was secured in his seat, kicking his feet and babbling at the sea like it was talking back, and I spotted dolphins playfully skimming the surface a few hundred yards out, the most stunning sight for anyone to see.
Once Jace secured the sails, he handed me a water bottle from a built-in cooler tucked behind where he’d been standing at the helm. “We’re secured, and now, it’s time to give you both the tour.”
I grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I unfastened Brandon, and, as if it were Brandon’s new favorite thing, he reached for Jace and ignored my ass. I followed Jace and Brandon below deck. The interior was stunning with clean lines and soft finishes, complemented with cream cushions, light oak cabinetry, and a galley that looked like it belonged in a fucking magazine.
“Well, I’ll be damned. First, your gorgeous home, and now this? Do you live part-time on this, too?”
“Sometimes,” he said with a shrug. “It’s a perfect escape from the demands of my profession.”
